U.S. Soccer Wire - May 7, 2007

NewsMay 7, 2007

U.S. U-17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM CLAIMS FIRST PLACE IN GROUP B CONCACAF FINAL ROUND QUALIFYING, WNT TO FACE CANADA ON MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND

U.S. U-17 MNT QUALIFIES FOR WORLD CUP, WINS GROUP B: The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team won their fourth straight CONCACAF Final Round Qualifying Tournament with a 2-1 victory against Costa Rica on Sunday (May 6) evening at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Already qualified for their record 12th straight FIFA U-17 World Cup, the U.S. got goals from Gregory Garza and Ellis McLoughlin in the first half and held off a second half charge by the ticos to finish atop the group with nine points from three victories and one loss in four matches. On Friday, the U.S. became the 18th team to qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the fourth of five CONCACAF teams. The other two CONCACAF berths (besides Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago) are Haiti and Honduras, which qualified from Group A. The U.S. will find out their opponents for the FIFA 2007 U-17 World Cup when the draw is held on May 17 in South Korea.

WNT TO FACE CANADA THIS WEEKEND, WILL WEAR SPECIAL EDITION PINK JERSEY : The U.S. Women’s National Team continues their 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup preparations on Saturday, May 12, when they take on Canada at 7:30 p.m. ET at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (tickets). The match, which will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel, will mark the first time the WNT dons a special edition jersey. The U.S. Women will take the field in pink jerseys on Mother’s Day weekend in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Following the match against Canada, the U.S. will kick off their “Send-Off Series” against China (tickets) in Cleveland on June 16, Brazil (tickets) in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 23, and Norway (tickets) in East Hartford, Conn., on July 14. The U.S. will also face Japan (tickets) in San Jose, Calif., on July 28 at 10 p.m. ET at Spartan Stadium, New Zealand (tickets) in Chicago on Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field, and finally Finland (tickets) in Los Angeles on Aug. 25 at The Home Depot Center in the final Send-Off Series match. Ticket information for all six games is available at ussoccer.com or by calling local Ticketmaster outlets or the respective stadium’s box offices. Group tickets for 15 or more people for any of the Send-Off Series matches are available by calling 312-528-1290 or downloading a group order form at ussoccer.com. ESPN2 will broadcast the New York, Hartford, Chicago and Los Angeles matches live, while ussoccer.com’s MatchACCESS will provide live streaming video of the matches in Cleveland and San Jose. Fans can also follow stats and commentary online with ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. For information about the WNT’s draw at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, visit the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup competitions page for a complete schedule and standings, plus features, podcasts, and exclusive all_access video coverage of the WNT in China.

U-20 MNT TO FACE ARGENTINA IN ROCHESTER: The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will continue their preparations for the upcoming 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer with a match against reigning world champion Argentina on Tuesday, May 15, at PAETEC Park in Rochester, N.Y. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the match range from $18 to $35, and can be purchased at PAETEC Park, by phone from Ticketmaster at (585) 232-1900 or at ticketmaster.com. U.S. Soccer and ussoccer.com will present complete MatchACCESS live coverage of the match against Argentina, starting at 6:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. PT. MatchACCESS will also include post-match coverage and interviews with U.S. Under-20 MNT head coach Thomas Rongen and select players. This will be the second U-20 MNT match broadcast exclusively on ussoccer.com, and is a part of the popular website’s extensive online video streaming coverage.

U.S. MNT TO FACE SWEDEN IN AUGUST: The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match on European soil in 2007 when they travel to face 11-time World Cup finalists Sweden on Wednesday, Aug. 22, at Ullevi Stadium in Goteborg, Sweden. Kickoff for the match is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel, with Galavision airing the match live at 2:30 p.m. ET and delayed at 2:30 p.m. PT. Fans can also follow the match live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The U.S. is gearing up for a busy summer, beginning with a tune-up match against China on June 2 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose (tickets). Five days later, the three-time champions will try to defend their title against 11 other teams at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scheduled from June 6-24 in several cities across the United States. Just a few days later, the U.S. will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. For the United States, the appearance will mark their third entrance into CONMEBOL’s signature event, and the first since a third place finish in 1995.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION PROCESS OPENS FOR FIFA U-20 & WOMEN’S WORLD CUPS: Media members may register online for the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 at the media services section of FIFA.com. Deadline for applications to the Women’s World Cup is May 31, and the deadline for the U-20 World Cup is May 30. Successful applications will be notified and given further information as the tournament approaches. Applications are subject to confirmation and international applicants are responsible for their own visas. More information about the tournaments is available at FIFA.com.

COACHING SYMPOSIUM SET FOR MAY 11-12: U.S. Soccer will host a coaching symposium at Pizza Hut Park on May 11-12, in conjunction with the U.S. Women’s National Team match against Canada. The two-day symposium will focus on “Preparation for a World Cup” and will feature classroom sessions with members of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s coaching staff and the USA-Canada match. Coaches attending the symposium can earn up to two CEU credits towards maintaining their “A” license. [Download application]

– YOUTH NATIONAL TEAMS UPDATE –

U.S. UNDER-20 WOMEN HEAD TO ENGLAND FOR THREE MATCHES: The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team and head coach Jillian Ellis headed to Manchester, England for three matches against top English women’s clubs. The U-20s will play Everton Ladies on May 8, the Leeds Ladies on May 10 and the Blackburn Ladies on May 12. Leeds and Blackburn may be without some National Team players as England plays Northern Ireland in a European Championship qualifier on May 12 and has a friendly on May 17. Everton, however, could have as many as nine National Team players in its side for the first match of the tour. Ellis, who was born and grew up in England before coming to the USA at the age of 15, continues to form a pool of players that will look to qualify the USA for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup that will be held at the end of next year in Chile. Qualifying is tentatively set for the second quarter of 2008. Players born on or after January 1, 1988, are age-eligible for the next U-20 Women’s World Cup. Most of the players on the roster were born in 1988, with several in 1989 and one in 1990 in midfielder Teresa Noyola.

U.S. U-15 GIRL’S NATIONAL TEAM COMES TO THE HDC FOR TRAINING CAMP: The U.S. Under-15 Girls’ National Team will come together for a training camp from May 19-25 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. U.S. head coach Tad Bobak has called in 24 players to the camp, all born in 1992, as the youngest of the USA’s five youth national teams holds its second training camp of 2007. Bobak may add one or two more players to the roster before camp commences. The U-15s will get a chance to watch the full Women’s National Team train as head coach Greg Ryan’s squad are in Residency Training Camp from May 21-31 before going on a break.

U-15 BNT WINS TWO, DRAWS ONE AND DROPS ONE IN ARGENTINA: The U.S. Under-15 Boys’ National Team traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for an international training camp, led by head coach Jim Barlow. The 20-player training camp kicked off on April 27 with the first match against Boca Juniors on April 30. The U-15s defeated Boca, 3-0, and went on to tie, 2-2, with Argentina two days later. On Friday, the squad fell, 2-1, to Uruguay and finished up their trip on Sunday (May 6) with a 2-1 win against Gimnasia.

U.S. U-14 NDP IN CAMP AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER: The U.S. Under-14 National Development Program will gather for a one-week camp from May 12-19 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center. Head coach Manny Scheldscheit has called in 36 players for the camp, which will see the U-14s split into two teams and play three matches each over the course of the week.

U.S. U-14 NDP ScheduleDate Opponent May 14 Valley United Cal South ODP May 16 Celtic Hoops Barcelona May 18 San Diego Surf TBA

LOTUS BUYS U.S. SOCCER, MLS RADIO RIGHTS: Radio station group Lotus Communication Corp. purchased English- and Spanish-language radio and Internet radio rights for U.S. Soccer, Major League Soccer and InterLiga matches. Lotus' first broadcast of the U.S. National Teams is expected to be the U.S. MNT vs. China match at 5 p.m. PT on June 2 in San Jose, Calif. The company will begin MLS broadcasts in 2008. Broadcasts of national team games will continue through 2014, as the result of a second contract with Soccer United Marketing.

2007 CONCACAF GOLD CUP TICKETS NOW ON SALE: Tickets for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup are now on sale for all dates and venues. Tickets start at $20 for first round games and can be purchased by calling 1-888-878-2007. Ticket packages are available for all games and match days at a single venue. Discounts are also available for groups. More information is available at ussoccer.com.

VISIT ussoccer.com's YOUTUBE CHANNEL: U.S. Soccer fans can now follow their favorite U.S. National Team coaches and players on ussoccer.com's YouTube channel. It includes interviews, press conferences and other exclusive behind-the-scenes features as well as coverage of the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA's Youth World Cups, Olympic Soccer, CONCACAF Gold Cup and other competitions, and all of the National Teams' qualifying competitions and friendlies. Subscribe to ussoccer.com's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/ussoccerdotcom.

U.S. SOCCER NATIONAL COACHING SCHOOLS SUMMER DATES SET: This summer, candidates will have a chance to learn from some of the nation’s top-level instructors, including current and former National Team, MLS and WUSA coaches at U.S. Soccer’s National Coaching Schools. Officially licensed by FIFA, the schools provide premier coaching education to coaches at all levels of the game. Limited space is available. Make your summer plans now to attend a U.S. Soccer “A”, “B” or “C” License course this June and July. For more information, visit ussoccer.com or call 312-808-1300. [CoachesNet]

*** “CENTER CIRCLE” SPOTLIGHT ***

PEAK PERFORMER: U.S. MNT and Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey scored the lone goal in Fulham’s 1-0 win against Liverpool on Saturday, May 5. The goal earned Fulham three valuable points, saving them from relegation along with Charlton’s loss to Tottenham on Monday (May 7). The Texas native came on as a second-half substitute and scored in the 68th minute after passing to Rosenior on the right side. Rosenior crossed it back into Dempsey, who had continued his run towards the center of the area where he slotted home the goal.

SOCCER SHOCKER: An early Carling Cup crown for the defending league champions had Chelsea crowing about four trophies in 2007, but that potential number was cut in half by two results in the same week. A penalty kick loss away to Liverpool in the semifinals last Tuesday ushered the Blues out of the Champions League, then a spirited 1-1 draw against Arsenal on the weekend gave Manchester United all the cushion they needed to secure their 16th league title. Chelsea has one more bite at the apple when they take on Man-U in the FA Cup final on May 19 at the grand opening of the new Wembley Stadium in London.

MARQUEE MATCHUP: The U.S. WNT will be back in action on Saturday, May 12, against Canada at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action live on Fox Soccer Channel and ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. It will be a memorable Mother’s Day weekend for the squad, who will wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness.

QUOTABLE: “I can see where the referee was getting confused; you know he does look like so many of my players.” -- Reading FC manager Steve Coppell after an English Premier League referee banished the team’s mascot from the sidelines because the oversized Lion’s team shirt was confusing him.